Molecular Survey of Dirofilaria and Leishmania Species in Dogs from Central Balkan
Suzana Tasić-Otašević,
Sara Savić,
Maja Jurhar-Pavlova,
Jovana Stefanovska,
Marko Stalević,
Aleksandra Ignjatović,
Marina Ranđelović,
Bojan Gajić,
Aleksandar Cvetkovikj,
Simona Gabrielli
Affiliations
Suzana Tasić-Otašević
Medical Faculty, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia
Sara Savić
Scientific Veterinary Institute Novi Sad, 21113 Novi Sad, Serbia
Maja Jurhar-Pavlova
Institute for Microbiology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Jovana Stefanovska
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Marko Stalević
Medical Faculty, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia
Aleksandra Ignjatović
Medical Faculty, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia
Marina Ranđelović
Medical Faculty, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia
Bojan Gajić
College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, UAE University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Aleksandar Cvetkovikj
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
Simona Gabrielli
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Dirofilariosis and leishmaniosis are severe parasitic diseases in dogs, and their causative agents can also be pathogenic to humans. In this study, we conducted a multicentric survey in the regions of Serbia and North Macedonia with the goal to establish an epidemiological scenario of dirofilariosis and leishmaniosis in the territory of Central Balkan. Using molecular analyses, a total of 535 dogs from Northern Serbia (NS), Southern Serbia (SS) and North Macedonia (NM) were screened for the presence of Dirofilaria spp. and Leishmania spp. We confirmed that Central Balkan is an endemic region for Dirofilaria (D.) immitis, as it was found to be the dominant species in this area, with the highest prevalence of 8.75% in NM, followed by NS (6.68%) and a significantly lower prevalence in SS (1.51%). Two dogs (2.5%) from NM were positive for Leishmania (L.) infantum infection. None of the dogs from Serbia tested positive for Leishmania spp. High prevalence and dominance of D. immitis species, and the rising threat of L. infantum spread to the territory of Serbia, suggest that preventive measures are of a great necessity to combat the spread of these vector-borne zoonoses.
